Obama's promises: Scorekeeping the first term

Published 10:30 pm, Sunday, January 20, 2013

That's what Barack Obama promised -- again and again and again -- as he was campaigning for president in 2008.

As Obama prepares for his second inaugural address on Monday, it's a good time to take a moment to reflect on the past four years. How much of the change he promised has been delivered?

Some of the Democratic candidate's 2008 promises were specific (raising the minimum wage) while others were more hopes than deliverables (lowering higher education costs). He told us he would end unpopular wars and bring the world's leading terrorist to justice. And he promised to change the toxic tone of Washington.

We score the president on several promises -- some large, some small -- he made in 2008, and analyze whether he followed through or fell flat.

The bottom line: Obama kept a bare majority of 13 of those promises. He broke seven of his 24 promises and made some progress on four others.

Is that success? Or failure? We'll let you be the judge of that.

The economy:

Promise: Reduce the deficit. "I'm pledging to cut the deficit we inherited by half by the end of my first term in office," the president said at a 2009 "Fiscal Responsibility Summit."

Promise broken. According to the Congressional Budget Office, there was a deficit of $1.1 trillion in 2012, making 2012 the fourth consecutive year marked by deficits above $1 trillion.

Promise: Reduce earmarks. Obama pledged to reduce the amount of government funds "earmarked" for their pet projects to their 1994 level -- "less than $7.8 billion a year."

Promise broken. According to data collected by the Taxpayers for Common Sense, WashingtonWatch.com, and endingspending.com, earmarks were at $12.9 billion for 2011. An earmark moratorium has subsequently been enacted.

Promise: Establish a credit card bill of rights. In his "Blueprint for Change," President Obama promised to establish a credit card bill of rights that will prevent companies from exploiting consumers with unfair practices.

Promise kept. The CARD Act of 2009 was passed to prevent credit card deception and help the American people navigate credit card terms. "As of today, consumers will be protected against unreasonable fees and penalties for late payments, as well as unfair practices involving gift cards," Obama said in August 2010. This law will also make the terms of credit cards more understandable and puts a stop to hidden over-the-limit fees and other practices designed to trap consumers."

Promise: Raise the minimum wage. In their campaign manifesto, Obama and running mate Joe Biden pledged to "raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2011 and index it to inflation."

Promise broken. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25, set in 2009. Democratic legislation was introduced in 2011 to hike the minimum wage to $9.80, but Congress has not acted.

Promise: Support urban growth by funding community development grants. The president promised during his 2008 campaign to "fully fund the Community Development Block Grant program and engage urban leaders across the country to increase resources to the highest need Americans."

Promise kept. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included a $1 billion appropriation for CDBG, keeping his promise to fund community improvements.

Taxes:

Promise: Reverse Bush tax cuts on the wealthy. Obama and Biden pledged to "reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers." During the 2008 campaign, Obama defined high-income taxpayers as families earning more than $250,000 a year.

Promise kept. Obama had to settle for a $450,000 cut-off, but he did succeed in ending the Bush tax cuts for the highest income taxpayers.

Promise: Create "Making Work Pay" tax credit. During the campaign, Obama promises a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family.

Promise partially kept, partially broken. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act did provide for a "Making Work Pay" provision. However, the level was short of the president's promise at $400 per person and $800 per family.

Promise: Protect the middle class. While Obama sought to reverse tax cuts for the wealthy, he promised to protect the lower and middle class taxpayers. In a 2008 speech, the Democratic candidate promised to give a middle class Americans additional tax cuts.

Promise kept. Politifact also rated this promise as kept, saying that the looming fiscal cliff caused Obama to compromise on the income threshold, but that lower and middle class families were kept protected.

Health care:

Promise: Universal health insurance coverage. Candidate Obama promised to sign "a universal health care plan into law" by the end of his first term. "His plan will provide affordable, quality coverage for every American," the campaign promised.

Promise kept. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012.

Promise: Improve Medicare. Obama committed to eliminating the daunting "doughnut hole" in Medicare Part D program. The doughnut hole is the point in which someone using Medicare reaches a coverage gap, requiring them to pay for their prescription drugs.

Promise kept. The passing of the Affordable Care Act has begun the process of closing the gap. Reimbursements to those affected by the doughnut hole began with $250 in 2010, continued with 50 percent discounted coverage in 2011, and are expected to increase until the gap is closed in 2020. According to a news release from HHS, the average person with Medicare will receive a savings of $5,000 because of the legislation.

Promise: Reduce the cost of health care for everyone. Obama promised to reduce the cost of health care "by as much as $2,500 per year for the average family."

Promise broken. In a report done by the Milliman Research Report, healthcare costs rose from $15,609 in 2008 to $20,728 in 2012. A bit of good news: The same group reported that 2012 had the lowest percentage increase in the history of its research.

Ethics:

Promise: A transparent government. Obama promised to create a government that was more transparent and easily understood by the people. Among his campaign pledges: to create a centralized Internet database of lobbying reports, ethics records, and campaign finance filings in searchable, sortable and downloadable formats.

Promise kept. The database, unveiled in detail on March 8, 2012, provides access to White House visitor records, office of government ethics travel reports, lobbying disclosure act data, department of justice foreign agents registration act data, FEC individual contribution reports, FEC commission candidate reports and FEC commission committee reports. While some have complained that the White House has conducted too much business behind closed doors, it has taken a meaningful step forward.

Education:

Promise: To make higher education more affordable. The campaign's "Blueprint for Change" promised that "Obama will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that will make tuition at the nation's community colleges completely free and will cover up to two-thirds the cost of tuition at the nation's public colleges and universities. This $4,000 tax credit will be fully refundable and available at the time of enrollment in college -- when families need the money."

Promise partially broken, partially kept. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was geared toward those in need of economic recovery, including college students. While the ARRA did create the American Opportunity Tax Credit, it didn't provide as much funding as was promised. The credit supplies students with a maximum of $2,500, not $4,000.

Promise: Establish 20 "promise neighborhoods." In his blueprint for change, Obama pledged to create 20 "promise neighborhoods" which would be put in place in cities with high crime, high poverty, and low levels of academic achievement. The neighborhoods would offer a wide range of services modeled after the Harlem's Children Zone.

Promise kept. On December 19, 2011, U.S. Department of Education announced that "five organizations will receive the first round of Promise Neighborhoods implementation grants, and another 15 organizations will receive a second round of planning grants."

National security and foreign policy:

Promise: To bring Osama Bin Laden to justice. During his Oct. 7, 2008, debate with John McCain, Obama pledged: "We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al-Qaida. That has to be our biggest national security priority."

Promise kept. On May 2, 2011, Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALS. Al-Qaida's leadership has been decimated, but it continues to pursue terrorism in Africa and Asia.

Promise: Close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Obama was clear on this one, declaring in August 2007, "As President, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act and adhere to the Geneva Conventions."

Promise broken. On January 22, 2009 President Obama signed an executive order "to promptly close the detention facilities at Guantanamo." Human rights activists who say that Obama has not fought hard enough to remove the 166 detainees remaining in the prison.

Promise: Leave Iraq within 16 months. In his inauguration speech, Obama said, "we will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people." His "Blueprint for Change" said that within 16 months troops would be responsibly brought home.

Promise kept. Obama ended combat brigades in August 2011, and the last of the troops came home that December. While Obama failed to technically meet his 16-month deadline, he acted promptly.

Promise: Making peace between Israelis and Palestinians a top priority. At the 2008 AIPAC policy conference, Obama told the pro-Israel group: "Those who threaten Israel threaten us. Israel has always faced these threats on the front lines. And I will bring to the White House an unshakeable commitment to Israel's security." Obama's "Blueprint for Change" promised the new president would make Israeli-Palestinian conflict a diplomatic priority, pushing for peace and security.

Promise partially kept, partially broken. Obama has had strained relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but he has consistently supported Israel verbally, monetarily, and with America's vote at the United Nations. According to the nonpartisan Politifact , he has kept his promise to fund Israel with $30 billion over the next 10 years thus far. Unfortunately, Obama's efforts seem to have yielded little in the way of progress toward peace and a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

Energy and the environment:

Promise: To lessen America's dependence on foreign oil. Obama promised to reduce foreign energy consumption "so that we will eliminate our current imports from the Middle East and Hugo Chavez's Venezuela within 10 years."

Promise kept. So far, so good. According to U.S. Energy Administration, our dependence on foreign oil imports has decreased in the past four years to 45 percent. We can debate whether the Obama administration or technology breakthroughs should get most of the credit. But the U.S. seems on its way toward energy self-sufficiency for the first time in decades.

Promise: Increase the use of renewable electricity sources. Obama promised to generate 10 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025.

Promise kept. In 2011, renewable sources of energy accounted for about 13 percent of electricty generated.

Promise: Reduce energy costs by weatherizing homes. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that families receiving weatherization services save an average of $437 in annual energy bills. Obama pledged "a national commitment to weatherize at least one million low-income homes each year for the next decade."

Promise broken. Energy.gov reported the total number of homes weatherized from 2009 through November 2011 was just 788,329.

Veterans:

Promise: Bring all Veterans back into the VA health system. A federal law had prevented veterans without service-related injuries making a certain income from reaping all the benefits the Department of Veterans Affairs has to offer. Blueprint for Change declared," One of Obama's first acts will be reversing the 2003 ban on enrolling modest-income veterans, which has denied care to a million veterans."

Promise kept. On July 19, 2009 the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs released a statement welcoming nearly 266,000 veterans who had been excluded due to the 2003 income limits.